Where I Belong
by conversationswithdeadpeople
Summary: Alternate Universe story...some of your favorite characters end up on holidays together. Love and Friendships develop, but not without problems...
1. Florida, Baby!

**Florida, Baby!**

"Look, Sum, if we don't get in, we can still do lots of fun stuff here." Marissa Cooper told her best friend. It was the last day of school, and they were heading across campus, towards Dr. Kim's office. Because that was where the list would be posted. The list of who was going on Leadership Convention...a Harbour High School tradition.

"Uh, like what? Going to Holly's beach house? South Coast Plaza? We do that all the time anyway." Summer replied.

"Well, there's the Tijuana trip at the end of summer." Marissa said consolingly. Of course, Marissa was saying this purely for Summer's benefit. A spot on Leadership Convention was highly coveted amongst the to-be-juniors of Harbour every year, especially because only six spots were offered. The other six spots were given to students from Newport Union. The convention was hosted by business partners and former residents of Newport, Sandy Cohen and Jimmy Donovan. Sandy and Jimmy were personal friends of Kirsten Nichol- Marissa's sister in law.

And Kirsten Nichol was the daughter of Caleb Nichol, one of the most powerful men in California. And Caleb Nichol was married to Julie Cooper- Marissa's mother.

Kirsten had already made sure Marissa and her son, Seth, were gaurranteed a place at the Leadership Convention, which was held in Florida. And the list was being posted today.

"Coop, look." Summer pointed at Dr. Kim, who was tacking something up to the bulletin board outside her office. "Is that the list?"

Students practically ran for it, searching for their names. One girl started crying.

"I think so."

"Yes!" Luke Ward yelled out. "Yes! I'm the king! Who's the king? I'm the king!"

"Did you get in?" Marissa asked excitedly.

"Hell yes I did!" Luke yelled. He grabbed Marissa and kissed her on the lips. She giggled and hugged him as Summer ran past them.

"Coop!" Summer screamed. Marissa swung around. "We're in!"

"All _right_!" Luke cheered. He grabbed the two girls in a hug and lifted them up. "It's gonna be so much fun, babe." he told Marissa.

"Who else is going?" Marissa asked. She looked at the list herself.

"Look, that Zach guy on your water polo team is going." She pointed out the name to Luke.

"So is Seth Nichol." Luke said. He made a strange face. A year ago, he would have made a comment about Seth being a queer. But now, Marissa and him were practically brother and sister. So he refrained.

"Taylor Townsend? Ew!" Summer squealed. She was looking at the list again. "Why doesn't it tell us about the NU kids that are coming?"

"I guess we meet them later." Marissa said. "Let's just go celebrate!"

Summer and Marissa linked arms, and Luke and Marissa held hands. Marissa walked off campus, her best friend and boyfriend in tow. This promised to be the best summer ever.

"Florida, baby!" Summer yelled. Marissa smiled widely. Florida, baby...here they come!

A week and a half later, Summer and Marissa climbed into Kirsten Cohen's Range Rover. She was driving the three of them, including Seth, to Harbour, where they would get on the minibus destined for the Florida house they'd be staying in.

"Have a good summer, kids." Caleb Nichol waved to them from the door as Julie ran out and jumped into the front seat.

"Mariss, honey, you got everything?" Julie asked.

Seth rolled his eyes. "I don't think its possible for her to have any more bags."

"Hey Cohen, here's an idea. Shut up." Summer said grumpily. They'd had to get up at six in the morning, which was definiatly not her favorite time of day.

"I'm so glad you're coming." Seth said sarcastically.

"Oh, like you would be if Kirsten hadn't called in personal favours for you." Summer snapped back.. "No offensive, Kirsten."

"Why is she always here, why!"

"Guys!" Marissa said. "Can you _not _please?"

"Didn't Luke need a ride?" Julie asked from the front seat.

"No, his parents are taking him." Marissa said.

They drove in silence for about ten minutes, until they reached Harbour. In the parking lot, there was a white minivan, two men standing next to it, talking to the students who were waiting. It looked as though they were the last ones there.

"Kirsten!" One of the men broke away from the group as the Cooper-Nichol party got out of their car and dragged their luggage over. He had dark black hair and kind eyes, and he was smiling widely. He kissed Kirsten on the cheek.

"Sandy! This is my son, Seth." Kirsten introduced. "This is my...well, step-sister, Marissa. And Marissa's friend Summer."

"Pleased to meet you, kids." Sandy said, shaking their hands. "Why don't you come over and meet the group?"

"Babe, you made it!" Luke greeted Marissa. He kissed her, Summer and Seth looking away pointedly. "Guys, this is DJ. He goes to Newport Union. And he's actually, like, cool."

He introduced them to a tall, dark-skinned guy, who looked way too old to be in high school.

"How old are you?" Summer asked.

"I'm sixteen. Like you." DJ said.

"Really." Summer said. "Well, I have like, a tonne of bags...would you help me?"

"Sure." DJ followed Summer back to the Range Rover. Seth stood awkwardly next to Marissa and Luke.

"So..." Seth said conversationally. Luke shot him a look Marissa didn't see. It plainly said, _Get lost, nerd. _Seth smiled painfully. "I'll just go...over there."

Luke kissed Marissa again. She pushed him away. "Come on, I think we're meant to be talking to the other kids."

"We have all summer to talk to them." Luke groaned. But he followed Marissa over there anyway. Sandy was talking to all the parents, and another guy was addressing the kids.

"So I'm Jimmy." Jimmy called out. "I'm really looking forward to working with you over the next couple of weeks. Can I just say, this program has been hugely successful over the last couple of years, and all the students that participated have always said how much they enjoyed it. I think it is a really valuble learning experience, as well as a chance to have some fun and do something a bit out of the ordinary."

Marissa glanced at the girl standing next to her. She must have gone to Newport Union, because Marissa didn't recognize her. She had a cute, short blonde pixie crop and was wearing a really cool outfit. It was a short black denim skirt with a printed t-shirt, denim vest and a black beaded necklace. She wore black ankle boots on her feet.

"Hi. I'm Marissa." she whispered. The girl turned to her and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Anna." the girl replied. Marissa was about to ask where she got her skirt from when Anna turned back to listen to Jimmy. Marissa smiled anyway. She loved to make new friends.

"So before we leave," Jimmy was saying. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves. Say your name, why you applied to take part in this program, and something you like to do in your free time. I'll start. Hi, I'm Jimmy. I'm taking part in Convention because I run it. I like to plan next year's Convention in my free time."

They laughed. Zach, the guy from Luke's water polo team, stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Zach. I applied for this program because I'd really like to be a school leader in senior year, and I was told this will really help my profile. In my free time, I like to read comic books and go to the beach."

"He sounds like a loser." Summer whispered to Marissa. She'd arrived at her friend's side, DJ behing her lugging two more suitcases.

"I'm Ryan." A tall blonde went next. Marissa studied him carefully. He was dressed simply, and he looked kind of quiet and soulful. He was very, very cute. "I applied because I thought it would be fun, I guess. I like to work out." he said simply.

"I'm Anna." Anna piped up. She was next in line. "I thought this was going to be a great experience, and all the activites listed sounded so interesting. I usually just hang out with friends and see movies in my free time."

It was Marissa's turn. "Hi. I'm Marissa." she said confidently. She'd had lots of practice speaking in public. "I was told Convention was a great place to make friends. In my free time I like to shop, go to the beach, party with my friends and...shop some more."

Summer smiled brightly at everyone. She was already turning on the charm. "I'm Summer Roberts. My teachers recommended I go on Leadership Convention so I'd have some kind of qualifications. I'm failing like, _everything._"

There was titter of laughter. Marissa tried not to smile.

"I hang out with Marissa most of the time, party with her, go tanning with her...except I shop more than she does."

"I'm Luke." Luke said quickly. "I like to play golf, and surf, and drive, and party, and play water polo, and some other stuff."

"Why did you apply for this program?" Jimmy asked.

Luke looked blank. "I dunno."

"I'm DJ." DJ said. "My brother recommended this convention to me. I work as a yard guy in my free time."

"Ew." Summer hissed quietly. Only Marissa heard her.

"Seth." Seth said. "I applied coz it sounded interesting. In my free time I like to read comic books and sail."

Zach smiled at Seth. Marissa hoped they would become friends, because Seth didn't really have any. As a result he tended to hang around and annoy her.

"I'm Chilli." The guy next to Seth introduced himself. "I applied to make friends. And I like to watch British comedy shows, like _The Office._"

"_The Office _is an American show." Summer said loudly. Chilli stared at her.

"No...it's not."

"It is." Summer insisted. Marissa gave her a shut-up nudge. Seth snorted in laughter and turned away.

"Hi, everyone." A tall, pretty girl in a pair of cute jeans and a blouse said perkily. "I'm Taylor Townsend. You guys who go to Harbour will know me. I applied for this program because I aim to be school captain in twelfth grade. In my free time I like to organise charity events and watch Japanimation."

"Freak." Luke whispered. Summer giggled softly. Marissa mock-glared at both of them, but she could see their point. Taylor could be a real pain in the ass.

"Hey, I'm Johnny. I mostly spend my time surfing. And I applied for Convention coz they waves in Florida are meant to be really good." The second-last person in line introduced himself. The whole group turned to face the last girl in line, a blonde in a Ramones T-shirt. By this time all the parents and Sandy were listening too.

"I'm Alex. I applied for this program so I wouldn't have to talk to my parents for six weeks. In my free time I work at The Bait Shop and listen to live music."

"Thats nice." Sandy said awkwardly. "Well, we'll give you ten minutes to get your things in the van and say your goodbyes. Then we'll be heading off."

Marissa hugged her mother and Kirsten goodbye. Then she and Summer hoped in the back of the minibus and claimed the back seat. Luke joined them and slowly the rest of the group filtered in. Alex sat two seats up from them and put her Ipod earphones in. Zach sat next to Luke and they started a discussion about their last water polo match. Anna sat next to Seth and asked him about sailing.

Taylor sat next to DJ and started yapping his ear off. Ryan and Johnny sat next to each other and turned around to talk to Chilli. Sandy sat up the front. Jimmy was driving.

As the bus moved forward, they waved to their parents. Then Summer called out, "Florida, baby! Here we come!"

They cheered. Marissa smiled. It was beginning.


	2. House Rules

**A/N: Thanks tons for the...uh, one review so far. I know the writing is a little craptacular, but I'm just writing this for fun. Anyway, enjoy and review if you want too...**

**Disclaimer: **It's not mine...and so on.

**

* * *

**

**_House Rules_**

"Ew! This bathroom is so- _ew!" _

"Summer, what's wrong?" Marissa said tiredly. She was leaning against the wall in a service station halfway across New Mexico, staring out the windows at the dark. Luke and Zach were goofing around on an arcade machine while Seth, Chilli and Anna ate french fries. Alex was lurking in the candy aisle, the clerk watching her suspiciously.

"Coop, I cannot pee in here." Summer poked her head out of the bathroom. Her dark hair fell in a curtain across her face. "It's gross."

"It's either that or the desert." Alex said, pushing past the two of them into the bathroom. Summer moved out of the way seconds before Alex slammed the door.

"Fine then." Summer said huffily. They waited for a minute or so before Alex came out. Summer disappeared back into the bathroom.

"Hurry up, Sandy's telling us to get back on the bus." Marissa hissed. She signalled at Luke to go ahead.

"I'm coming!" Summer said, coming back out. "That was like...the grossest thing ever."

"Summer, just come on." Marissa said. They ran outside to the bus and settled back in their seats. After the first stop, everyone had sort of gravitated to the front of the bus, to talk to each other and to Sandy and Jimmy. Everyone except Alex, that is.

"Okay, we'll be stopping over at a motel in an hour and a half." Jimmy announced from the wheel.

"Sounds great." Anna yawned. "I am _so _tired."

"How much longer till we get to Florida?" Luke asked. They all exchanged looks.

"A while." Chilli said.

* * *

It was a while- a long while- later that they did get to Florida. They drove through Miami and although Summer begged Sandy to stop so she could shop, they kept going. Thirty minutes outside of Miami, Sandy drove into a small town called Kenmore. They drove through the Main Drag, past Main Beach, past the harbour, and to a smaller, quieter beach. 

"This is Christian Beach." Jimmy said as they pulled up. "To your left is the Christian Beach Caravan Park."

Seth peered out the window. "Is that where were staying?"

"No." Sandy said. He pointed upwards, to a cliff. "That's where were staying."

It was a huge white beach house, with big windows that looked out into the ocean. It didn't look fancy, but it was beautiful. Even Summer gasped in appreciation.

They drove up a long driveway that led them up to the house. Sandy parked outside the front door next to a beat-up silver Range Rover. They piled out of the car.

"Okay, gang!" Sandy yelled. "Grab your luggage and bring it into the dining room-it's the first room to your left once you go through the front door. Let's go!"

It took them a few minutes to drag their stuff indoors, but eventually they were all sitting around the dining room table. Sandy was waiting at the head.

"Allright, we made it." Sandy said. Chilli, Seth, Taylor and Luke gave some half-hearted cheers.

Jimmy came through the door with an attractive blonde woman.

"Hi, I'm Hailey." she introduced.

"Hey." they echoed.

"Regarding sleeping arrangements." Jimmy said. "The girls are in the attic. There are three other bedrooms, so we'll divide the boys into two pairs and a group of three, okay?"

It didn't take long to organise. They quickly decided that Ryan and Johnny would share one room, Seth and Chilli share another and Luke, Zach and DJ take the last one.

"Go unpack and settle in. You hungry?" Hailey asked.

"Yes!" DJ said, speaking for all of them.

"Then dinner's at six." she replied. Marissa looked at her watch. It was ten to five now, and she was starving.

"Coop, come on." Summer said. Marissa picked up her suitcases and followed her best friend upstairs.

* * *

Zach swung open the door to the bedroom at the end of the second-floor hallway. The room was pretty big, with a single bed in one corner and a set of bunk beds in the other. Between them was a desk, and there was two sets of drawers and one wardrobe. The room was simple, but it did feature a huge window that looked down onto Christian Beach. The ocean looked spectacular. 

"Dibs." Luke said, swinging a duffel bag onto the top bunk.

DJ looked at Zach. "You mind if I take the single?"

"Go ahead." Zach said. He began unpacking, taking up the first three drawers with all his clothes. DJ shoved his stuff into the bottom three. Luke didn't seem very interested in packing, just looking out at the ocean.

"Dude, look at that swell." Luke said. "I wish I'd brought my board."

"Didn't Sandy say they had surfboards here we could use?" DJ muttered distractedly.

"Seriously? Awesome." Luke replied. "You surf?"

"Nah." DJ shrugged. "But I heard Johnny does."

"This is gonna be a good summer." Zach said. "The beach, no parents-"

"The girls." Luke nodded.

"That Summer, she's a real looker." Zach agreed.

* * *

At that moment, Summer was up in the attic, which was really just a big room. There were two bunk beds and a single bed, plus three sets of drawers and a full-length mirror. There were three shelves on the wall next to each bed. 

Summer and Marissa were sharing the first bunk bed, and Anna and Taylor were sharing the second one. Alex was left with the single, but she seemed to prefer being alone.

"I should warn you guys, I'm a little bit of a neat freak." Taylor said excitedly. "Does anyone mind if I clean this place up sometimes?"

"Sounds good to me." Marissa replied.

"What are we going to do about this wardrobe situation?" Anna asked. "There's three drawers and five of us. Who gets one to themselves?"

"Well, who has the most crap?" Alex replied.

"Summer." Marissa, Taylor and Anna said together.

"So I get my own? Sweet." Summer replied.

"Summer, may I ask- what on earth did you bring?" Anna said. "I mean, I know we're here for six weeks, but they _do _have a washing machine, you know."

"I just brought a couple of outfits." Summer said defensively.

Marissa unzipped one of her friend's Louis Vuittan suitcases. "How many pairs of heels did you bring? We are _not _going to be going out this much."

"Seven pairs of heels is perfectly reasonable for six weeks." Summer replied defensively.

"Seven? I brought two and I thought I was being excessive." Taylor said.

It took them pretty long to unpack their stuff. Marissa and Alex shared a set of drawers, and Alex's stuff only took up the first two. Taylor organised all her stuff in order, skirts and shorts in the first drawer, shirts and tank tops in another, jackets, pajamas and long pants in another, all color co-ordinated. Then Anna let her do the same with all her stuff. By the time Taylor was finished, Marissa was reading _Cleo _on her bed, Summer was painting her toenails bright pink and Anna and Alex were talking about Death Cab for Cutie, a band they both liked.

"Five minutes till dinner!" Taylor announced brightly. "I'm heading down, I don't want to be late."

"I don't think Jimmy and Sandy really care if we're late." Summer grumbled, but they all went downstairs nonetheless.

Hailey was serving up dinner on the porch outside, overlooking the pool. She'd grilled up hamburgers and made a huge greek salad. Pitchers of lemonade and ice tea were set on the table.

"Wow, this looks great." Marissa said appreciatively. At home, they mostly only ate Chinese take-out or Pad Thai.

"Thanks." Hailey said. "Before I moved out here with Jimmy, I couldn't cook at all. Let's just say I learnt fast."

They began helping themselves to hamburgers and salad. The boys came down a couple minutes after and together, the group wolfed down second helpings of everything. While they were eating, Sandy and Jimmy explained the program.

"This is supposed to be a sort of working holiday." Jimmy explained. "We want you guys to have fun. So we usually only work half-days. For example, we're going to give you tommorow morning off and we'll work in the afternoon. The day after tommorow you'll have the night off. And so on."

"So what are we doing tommorow?" Johnny asked.

"We'll start off small. Tommorow we'll be doing some simple team-building excercises and getting you all to know each other a bit better." Sandy answered. "Now, your days off. You can go out at night, but curfew is eleven o'clock on all nights except for Fridays and Saturdays, when you can stay out till midnight. And I mean _no later_. Anyone who breaks curfew will do all the chores for a week and will also be punished in other ways. Okay?"

"Okay." They chorused back.

"Alcohol is not allowed." Jimmy said. "Reckless and stupid behaviour is not allowed. Causing trouble is not tolerated. Remember that you all volounteered for this and we are responsible for looking after you. That means you follow our rules, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now my department." Hailey stepped forward. "Chores. There's not going to be a roster or anything, but I expect you guys to help clean up and prepare meals if needed. Plus, just generally cleaning up after yourselves downstairs would be appreaciated. However, you can trash your rooms as badly you want."

Luke and DJ cheered at that.

"You have free time after dinner to do whatever you want." Sandy said. "But today's Tuesday, so remember curfew, people. And one more thing. There is absoloutly no swimming or surfing at the beach after dark. Allright?"

Johnny and Luke both groaned.

"You have tommorow morning off, everyone, but we'll need you up by noon." Hailey said. "Now, who wants more hamburgers?"

Everyone raised their hands. They were working as a team already.


	3. The Way We Get By

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they are much appreciated. Even if the writing is really hap-hazard and lazy and...well, crappy, I really like this story. I just think its so much fun. I just wanted to have something to do. Ha ha. Anyway, read and enjoy and review if you want to make me happy!**

_**The Way We Get By **_

**_

* * *

Summer stumbled up the stairs to the attic, feeling her way in the dark. She hoped she wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night needing to pee for the rest of the summer. Getting back upstairs was a bitch._**

Summer groped for the door handle and let herself back into the room. It was much lighter in the big room, and she could see someone moving around.

"Taylor?" Summer whispered hoarsely, when she figured out what it was.

"Summer?" Taylor whispered back. "What are you doing?"

"I went to the bathroom. What are _you _doing?"

Even in the dark, Summer could see Taylor kind of blushing. "I'm going to go watch the sunset."

"Really?" Summer considered this for a minute. "Can I come?"

"Oh...yeah." Taylor sounded surprised. "We have 10 minutes till the sun comes up."

"What time is it?" Summer hissed as she peeled off her pajama top and put on a long-sleeved Henley top.

"Four twenty-five." Taylor whispered back. Summer shuddered but she really had the urge to go watch the sun rising with Taylor. She laced up her sneakers quickly and followed Taylor down the stairs and out the house.

"Should we go down to the beach?" Taylor asked. Summer nodded so they made their way down the cliff path. It was getting lighter by the minute, but the sun wasn't up yet. They made it down to the soft, wet sand.

The two girls sat down next to each other and stared out at the ocean.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Summer murmured. "I mean, it's hard to see, but it looks pretty."

"Just wait." Taylor said quietly. "It gets better."

"Have you ever been to Florida before?" Summer asked.

"No." Taylor replied. "Why?"

"You seem to know a lot about it's sunrise."

"I watch the sunrise at home all the time. In summer its usually around four-thirty." Taylor explained. "I didn't think it would be any different here."

"I don't think I have ever watched an Orange County sun rise." Summer said, thinking back. "I mean, I've stayed out at parties all night, but I can't remember ever seeing one."

"Really? But you've lived in OC your whole life?"

"Yes."

Taylor gave a half-smile. "You should pay more attention to the beautiful things around, Summer. You might find something you really love."

They fell silent as Summer thought about this for a few minutes, dragging a stick through the wet sand.

"Oooh." Summer heard Taylor suddenly say. "Look."

She glanced up and saw the sky suddenly filling with pink, orange and yellow rays of light. Summer felt her mouth open in awe.

"I told you it gets better." Taylor said dreamily.

"It's _so _beautiful." Summer gasped.

They sat there for much longer, watching the sun rise.

* * *

When Taylor and Summer got back to the house, it was six-fifteen. They'd stayed out for longer than they thought, just watching the sky and talking about random stuff. Once they get back in the house, Taylor went to take a shower and Summer climbed back into her warm bed, to be alone with her thoughts.

She'd never seen anything as beautiful as that sunrise, and watching it had made her feel so at peace with the world. But this feeling was marred by something else tugging at her conscience. It took Summer a little while to figure out what it was. It wasn't until Taylor came back to the room and told Summer she was going to go downstairs and make some coffee that she figured out what it was.

It was guilt. All these years Summer had ignored Taylor, talked about her behind her back, called her a freak and a loser and so many other things. But Taylor was actually really sweet. And she had been pretty easy to talk to this morning, making jokes and being sympathetic when Summer spoke about her step-monster. It made her feel so ashamed when she thought of the times she'd made fun of Taylor.

Well, she wouldn't do that again, Summer promised herself. She had to stop being so judgemental and…_bitchy_. She didn't want to end up like her step-monster, with no friends but a lot of names to call people.

"Sum? Are you awake?" she heard suddenly.

"Coop?" Summer whispered, leaning down to see the bottom bunk. Marissa seemed to have just woken up. "What are you doing up?"

"What are _you _doing up?" Marissa teased. "I didn't think mornings were your thing."

"They're not." Summer replied. "I went to go watch the sunrise with Taylor."

Marissa looked confused. "With Taylor?"

"Yeah. Why?" Summer said, feeling defensive.

"It's nothing. I just didn't think you liked her, that's all." And with that, Marissa rolled back over and went back to sleep.

Summer lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. She hadn't thought she liked Taylor either.

* * *

By ten o'clock that morning, everyone except Luke had woken up. All the travelling had seemed to throw the kids off-balance. None of them could sleep in, no matter how hard they tried. Once Hailey had started cooking waffles and pancakes the smell had gotten them all out of bed anyway.

Now they were gathered around the TV in the living room, watching a cable channel that was showing _Friends _reruns and waiting for their turns in the shower. Seth, DJ, Zach and Alex were sitting on the couch; Ryan was sitting in one armchair and Marissa and Summer were sharing the other. Taylor and Anna were sitting on the floor and leaning against the coffee table while Johnny sat on the settee and stared wistfully out at the ocean.

Chilli came downstairs, dressed in preppy khakis and a green-and-white striped polo shirt. "Who wants the shower?"

"Yes, please." Marissa said, standing up. She was still wearing the oversized purple sweatshirt and black leggings she had slept in.

"Which episode are we watching?" Chilli asked.

"The One Where Ross Can't Flirt." Ryan replied automatically. They all turned and stared at him.

Ryan looked uncomfortable. "I like _Friends_, okay?"

"You didn't seem like the type." Zach replied.

Just then, Hailey walked in. "Hey, guys, Sandy said- Oh, _Friends._" She watched it for a few moments. "Hey, is this The One Where Ross Can't Flirt?"

They all started laughing. "Yeah, it is." Taylor replied.

"I love _Friends_." Hailey said defensively.

"We just watched The One With A Chick And A Duck." Ryan piped up. This just made everyone laugh harder.

"What's with you guys?" Chilli asked. "Can you just tell straight away which episode it is?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Hailey said. Just then, the TV show went to a commercial break.

"Hey, guys!" Anna said suddenly. "Look."

The TV flashed up another clip of _Friends. _The subtitle said, _more _Friends _when we return_.

"What episode was that clip from?" Anna asked them. Hailey and Ryan exchanged looks.

"The One With Chandler's Work Laugh." They both answered. Everyone cheered.

"What were you going to say, Hailey?" DJ asked her.

"Oh, right." Hailey replied. "Sandy said he's going for a surf in ten minutes and he has extra boards if anyone wants to join him."

"Seriously? Great!" Johnny said. "I'm there."

"Anyone else?" Hailey asked.

"Luke likes to surf." Zach remembered. "But he's still asleep."

"I'll go." Alex spoke up.

"I didn't know you surfed." Johnny said.

"I'm not world class or anything." Alex replied. "But I can stand up. I had this boyfriend in eighth grade who was really into it, so I learnt."

"Cool." Summer said. "I've always wanted to learn it."

"We'll teach you." Alex offered. Summer smiled at her. Everyone was grateful that Alex was defrosting a little, so they smiled at her too.

"Hey, wait." Anna said suddenly. "Hailey, if you and Jimmy get the downstairs bedrooms, where does Sandy sleep?"

"Sandy gets the pool house." Hailey said, looking surprised that they didn't know.

"Why does he get a pool house and you have to sleep in a tiny bedroom?" Summer said indignantly.

Hailey laughed. "His wife and kids come and stay with him during the program. They're in Connecticut right now visiting his in-laws, but they're coming down here in a week."

"Sandy's married?" DJ asked. "Since when?"

"And he has kids? How old are they?" Taylor asked.

"He has a little boy and girl, Mark and Sophie." Hailey answered. "They're five and two. His wife's name is Rebecca."

"I can't believe he's married and he never told us." Anna said.

Marissa came down the stairs, dressed in a floaty, short pink skirt and a green tank top. Bronze Havainas flip-flops were on her feet and her dark blonde hair was wet at the ends. "Shower's free."

"Shotgun." DJ said, hopping up instantly.

"Hey Coop, guess what. Sandy's married." Summer said.

"No way!" Marissa giggled. "Why didn't he say anything?"

* * *

At one o'clock, everyone gathered on the porch for a lunch of tacos and lemonade. When Johnny and Alex and Sandy had gone surfing, everyone else had gone down to the beach to go swimming as well. Everyone except for Luke, that is, who had only just woken up.

After lunch, Hailey announced that she was going to visit some friends in town, and Jimmy and Sandy had the group assemble on the lawn next to the swimming pool.

"For our first activity," Sandy started. "We're going to divide you into two teams."

Marissa and Summer automatically moved closer together.

"Which we will draw out of a hat." Jimmy said. He held up his baseball cap. "I've written down all your names, and the first six I draw out will be the blue team, okay?"

Sandy held up the cap and Jimmy fished around in it. "Ryan."

Ryan grinned nervously and moved to one side.

Jimmy pulled out another slip of paper. "Marissa."

Marissa squeezed Summer's hand and moved to stand next to Ryan.

"Seth."

"Alex."

"Chilli."

"Zach."

"Okay, you're the blue team." Sandy said. "The rest of you are the red team."

"So what do we have to do?" DJ asked.

Jimmy answered. "Here's what you do. There's two acres of land that we own around this house. All over it, we've hidden stuff that is tied up with yellow ribbons. Well, Hailey's hidden it. Whatever you find, you get to keep, and the team that finds the most stuff wins."

"And the losing team has to cook dinner tonight." Sandy said. "And clean it up."

"Sounds like fun." Ryan shrugged.

"So what are the prizes?" Anna asked.

"Mostly it's food. Candy and stuff. But there's also special prizes," Jimmy said mysteriously. "Stuff that you'll all want, trust me."

Sandy handed them all canvas bags to carry their loot around in. Then they made the teams go to separate rooms in the house. The blue team were in the entrance room and the red team in the kitchen. Sandy and Jimmy stood in the hallway, where they could see both teams.

"Okay…go!" Sandy yelled.

* * *

Anna led the red team out the kitchen door into the pool area. "Spread out and search." She said excitedly. It may have been a lame game, but it was fun.

Summer looked under the reclining sun chairs. Taylor checked in the filter. Everyone searched through the gardens.

"Hey, I found something!" Luke called. He held up a packet of novelty-sized Mars Bars. "Dibs on these later."

"Found something too." Johnny said. He held up a voucher. "Check it out. Three free rentals from the Blockbuster in town."

"That might have been the stuff Jimmy was talking about." Anna nodded.

* * *

The blue team headed out the front door and started combing the front yard. Marissa was checking around the garage when she saw something up high.

"Hey guys, look!" she yelled.

"What is that?" Zach was closest to her.

"I have no idea." She squinted up at the top of the garage door. What looked like a piece of paper with a bright yellow ribbon tied around it had been wedged up the top of the door.

"How are we meant to get that?" Chilli wondered.

"Someone lift me up." Marissa commanded.

The all looked at each other. "Who's strongest?" Alex asked.

"Zach or Ryan." Seth said truthfully.

"Ryan, you would be." Zach admitted.

"Well, you can't be that heavy, right Marissa?" Alex asked. "Ryan, lift her up."

Ryan stepped forward and let Marissa step on his knee so he could grab her legs easier. He grasped her around her lowers things and moved her closer to the garage door. Marissa stretched out and felt her fingers brush the paper.

"Little higher." She said. Ryan pushed her up a little more. She was wearing a skirt, and he was using most of his energy to not look up at what she was doing.

Marissa grasped the piece of paper. "Got it."

Ryan put her down gently. Marissa held up a slip of paper.

"Get out of chores free Card." She read out. "Sweet."

"Did anyone find anything else?" Chilli asked. He was holding the team's canvas bag.

"I found a packet of Oreos." Alex said, holding them up. "My favourite cookie, incidentally."

"I found…" Seth pulled a pile of stuff out of his pockets. "Minties, a four-pack of gum, a packet of Marshmallows, two Three Musketeers Bars and some red nail polish."

Marissa took the bottle of nail polish. "This is a really nice colour. Where did you find all this stuff?"

"Behind that tree over there." Seth said, pointing. "I think maybe Hailey got a bit lazy."

* * *

Meanwhile, the red team was searching around the swing set and sandbox next to the pool house. Summer had briefly wondered what it was doing there when she first saw it yesterday, but now she realized it must have been for Sandy's kids.

Their canvas bag was now full of junk food and some other knickknacks. Summer was getting pretty confident that they were going to win.

"Hey, I found Twinkies!" Luke whooped. He had found the most stuff by far. It was as though he could sniff out junk food from a mile away.

"Look what _I _found!" Taylor said excitedly. She held up two disposable cameras. "Aren't these cool?"

"Those are cool _as_!" Summer squealed. She loved, loved, loved taking photos. Her digital camera was up in the attic.

"You can have this one." Taylor offered generously, passing it to Summer. "I know you like taking photos."

"That I do." Summer grinned.

"Guys, there's no way the other group found this much stuff." Anna said, looking in the bag. "We're gonna win for sure."

"Goody." Summer said childishly.

* * *

When they all assembled back on the porch, Sandy collected their bags. He emptied out all their findings.

"I think the red team one." Jimmy said. The blue team had collected about six candy bars and a couple boxes of cookies, and that was it.

"Suck! It!" Luke crowed. Marissa gave him an irritated look and he shut up.

"That means the blue team cooks dinner tonight. What are we having?" Sandy asked.

"Uh…who feels like pizza?" Chilli said.

"Ohhh no, you have to cook it." Hailey said as she came in through the kitchen door. "There's pasta ingredients in the kitchen."

"Mac and cheese? Coz that's my specialty." Marissa said.

"Tortellini, I think." Hailey replied.

"Well, you have the rest of the night off." Sandy said. "Me and Jimmy are going down the road for some drinks at a friend's house."

"So we have the house to ourselves?" Zach asked.

"Yes you do, because I have a date." Hailey said.

After they had all 'oohed' immaturely at her, the kids decided they would hang at home and watch movies all night. The blue team had been relocated to the kitchen to start on dinner, so the red team were given the tasks of getting snacks and movies.

They walked down into town, along the beach. Summer bought her video camera just for the fun of it. She walked ahead and turned around and filmed her new friends walking. The scene looked right- Anna and Johnny walking along, pushing and shoving each other playfully; Taylor on DJ's back because she didn't want to ruin the cuffs of her new jeans. And Luke making stupid faces at the camera. Summer laughed loudly for no reason, which made Anna and Johnny laugh. It had been a good day. And there were going to be so many more like it. With this thought, Summer laughed some more.


End file.
